Princess Ben

Being A Wholly Truthful Account of Her Various Discoveries and Misadventures, Recounted to the Best of Her Recollection, in Four Parts

A girl is transformed, through instruction in life at court, determination, and magic, from sullen, pudgy, graceless Ben into Crown Princess Benevolence, a fit ruler of the kindgom of Montagne as it faces war with neighboring Drachensbett.

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Ben is a young lady who lives a very sheltered life, until her mother and uncle (the king) are found murdered, and her father is missing. Ben is then forced into the care of her aunt, the regent Queen. To say the two don't get along is an understatement, and the continuously but heads until Ben discovers she is able to unlock magic in the castle. Once this discovery is made Ben spends her waking time learning, and exploring the magic, becoming passive and taking the path of least resistance with her aunt. This goes on until the queen is forced to either go to war, or find a husband for Ben who can help defend their kingdom from stronger neighboring kingdoms.

I enjoyed the story, the setting, and how the characters were developed. However there were times I was aggravated with Ben, who despite being 15 at the start of the book behaves like a spoiled 5 year old. I also found it hard to believe that the heir to the throne would be allowed to live completely aside from court, with her education neglected other than learning to read, write and basic math. Her parents know she will one day be Queen, but do nothing to prepare her.
Ben's attitude does change as the book progresses, which enabled me to keep it at a 5 star rating. I truly did not want to put it down at times, as this was not a traditional tale, and I didn't know where the author would go next.

Upon retrospect, I realize how grand these books are. More grand in retrospect than first experience, actually, but the writing is charming and the characters larger-than-life. The denouément was dreadful, though. . . Though slightly redeemed by the successor Wisdom's Kiss.

alevesque
Mar 20, 2014

This is almost a prequal to her book (Wisdom's kiss in which they relate to a few past experiences) but you can totally read it by themselves. Great Story! Catherine knows how to make for a great ending.

The over-the-top take-me-seriously writing style was unpleasant, but the story itself was cleverly told and an interesting take on fairy tale themes. I wish they'd chosen different jacket art-Ben looks nothing like a girl with an eating disorder.